The Good Book says:
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Nary a decade has gone by since Matthew jotted down those words from Jesus that a war hasn’t been discussed or commenced, that a kingdom has not risen or fallen, or that environmental or ecological disasters haven’t occurred.
And for two thousand years, the world has awaited the return of the savior…who first came to save, and last…comes to judge. Many have claimed secret knowledge of that blessed date and many claim no such person even exists but that the world will still burn.
But there will be signs. For “The End”, signs of war, famine, disease, death on an otherworldly scale, and the desecration of the temple in Jerusalem…the bifocal lens of prophecy shows it will (and did) happen then, and will again in the future.
But what are the indicators in life that should shine bright red fire in the dark sky like a signal flare? Moreover, what are the events coming in your lifetime that will have indicators?
First, know when you're surrounded.
George Washington barely kept our fight for independence alive through sheer excellence of retreat, repeatedly. An honorable man with a hundred year stare into the future and six thousand years into the past, Washington knew when his men were about to be backed into a corner from which there would be no escape.
Ten years ago most of us could look around and see grandparents, men and women, tourists, college kids, and even schoolchildren that we, with some reasonable certainty, knew would understand the difference between right and wrong. The odd handful of contrarian liberals may argue the theoretical nature of good and evil or even that societal morality trumped the natural law, but in honest-to-God practice, they still wouldn't engage in or tacitly support open evildoing.
Today? Your author is not an old man, but I feel decades beyond my years when I walk through my local MegaWalStore and look into the soulless eyes of my fellow customers or see the Libs of TikTok or Fleccas videos highlighting the utter and intentional degradation of our society.
Truly, I used to love visiting our great cities and traveling the open road, but not am genuinely afraid when I must. I don't see people I would trust to pee on me to put out a fire let alone not beat and rob me if I slipped on a banana peel...and...caught on fire.
Teachers want to groom children for sexual promiscuity, assault, and unspeakable mutilation.
Mothers, afraid of being called "terf", openly embrace debauchery and shove their children headlong into the arms of the literal demons who seek to destroy their very lives.
Whole communities without the common understanding of the benefits of a two parent household actively bragging about that antithesis.
And today our leadership perceives the, at best apathetic acceptance of, literally biblical transgressions as nothing more than moments to proclaim "I told you so," and, "We used to be a great country," while taking no active measures to combat or accurately call wrong "wrong"...all while we are left to rot in the decaying husk of morality.
Our leaders don't know how to win or retreat, but the enemy is on our shore, through our gates, and heavily imbedded in our core institutions.
Second, unlike the Biden administration, keep an eye on the market.
The laziest excuses exist around Americans and not understanding the basics of finance. The stock market is not some great mystery. Yes, you can become wealthy. Yes, you can lose everything. And millions of people can teach you how to do either of those and everything in-between. The real thing to understand is money is a tool. You can use it to fix up and improve your life, or you can use it to pry your life apart so messily that you can never put it back together.
The love of money will drive you to ruin, but a healthy respect and appreciation can give you whatever you need. Either way, you have a responsibility to study it and understand how it works. Floors and ceilings exist. Patterned movement exists. Move when the real money moves and don't be greedy. Pelosi wouldn't make money if it was only a ride at the casino, but it helps when you own the House.
Third, deduct danger through situational awareness.
Do you see people running? Do you smell something odd? Do you see someone wearing a coat in July? Have an entire bench of federal representatives just shrugged and said “fine, as long as you re-elect me” on major points of principle? The signs are everywhere when a threat lurks and seconds indeed matter. Ask yourself what policy bellwethers matter too much to allow truce or surrender.
The Second Amendment. "Gee, should I care that a bug chunk of core GOP elected officials just rolled over on massive gun legislation?"
Gay Marriage. "Huh, I wonder if codifying sodomy into law is consistent with the slippery slope we've literally been seeing play out over the past five years and I should call my congressman and express my moral concerns?"
Fourth, suss out when “she” is mad.
Women, diverse and unique as they all are, truly are…all completely the same. And when they're mad, the men they're mad at are usually the last to know. As men of women, we have a responsibility to decipher the assonances of aggravation…the burning in their eyes like the flames of your funeral pyre.
I have one woman in my life that has been in several other men's lives. She, like all women, is only assuaged by one thing: blood. They produce it, the let it out, and they expect it given or taken in return.
And indeed, “the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." You must flay thyself, but you must also slay thy enemy.
Fifth and finally, know when you’ve lost.
Losing is painful and always personal. But, as red-blooded Americans, we are apt to struggle with accepting when winning is no longer in the cards. Vietnam was, sadly a loss. And why? Because we wouldn't finish the job. Half hearted measures in the name of civility only result in acquiesced ground and lost men.
History has taught us one simple truth: When you must fight, you must fight.
When you're about to win, you do not relinquish your grip upon the sword. When you can't win, you earn respect by protecting your team in a well executed retreat. Both require planning and honesty with yourself. The American Tale we all share is not one of constant victory, but of crushing defeats and consistency of vision to learn from them and rise yet again. But hope, rooted in precept and value, held as a benchmark of inspiration for the great men and women of our bloodlines. Hope in God's providence and blessing of endurance.
But.
There comes a time when loss is inevitable and no retreat can be called.
Wars have hinged on this critical juncture and the men wise enough or too foolish to see it.
The time will come when the good men and women cannot win. Powers without or, more likely, within will overrun the godly, the brave, and truth will be redefined not just in thought, but in brutal, merciless reality. At that point, your mission is not one of subversion or victory, it is to brave the all-consuming fire on your feet and not your knees, with that blessed hope of Christ's salvation as the only treasure left in your heart.
Rome did not last because weak, immoral men were allowed to rule until strong, immoral men took it.
Be moral.
Take the throne to which God has anointed you.
